The plot is simple, alien spacecrafts have come down to Earth with unknown intentions, and a team of scientists is tasked with communicating with them. Arrival is bigger on ideas than thrills, yet there are still suspenseful scenes. It's devoid of action, instead taking a more thought provoking approach to a familiar concept.
Amy Adams gives one of her best performances here, as the majority of the film rests on her shoulders. It was important we care about her character, as the events of the movie are mostly experienced through her. She is a well developed, sympathetic character.
The visual effects and cinematography are stunning, making for some beautiful shots of the spacecrafts. The musical score perfectly lurks in the background as a humming, mysterious presence, only moving to the foreground in the grand wide landscape shots to convey scope.
The final twist is quite shocking, achieved throughout the movie by clever plotting and editing. However, the reason for the aliens' arrival feels somewhat rushed and underdeveloped.
The supporting cast all does a fine job, but none of their characters really stand out or receive much development. Also, the movie's final moments seem like a bit of a stretch.
Overall, Arrival is an impressive work by Villeneuve, who directed this film with confidence and intelligence. With many interesting themes and an engaging story, this is easily one of the best films of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment